i'm thinking off having my hiace converted to a pop top with the bed. Has anyone had any experience sleeping in this kind of van. Are the pop up bed areas warm enough for all year use? Can you get heaters fitted?
On our old VW Type 2 Westy with popup canvas roof, we did find it made the van very chilly during cold weather with the roof up, we used an electric fan heater which helped. The thing that basically solved the problem for us was that I made a seperate insulating curtain that fixed on the outside to create andair pocket from sheets similar to the reinforced ground sheet material which is also wind proof. It was just a pain having something extra to carry and put up.
It was the fact that the poptop was a problem during winter that convinced us to change the van to one with a hightop VW and that in turn lead us to buying the Hymer we have now.
Hi there, got a pop top on my VW T25(have a look at my gallery pics). It is a solid sided type as opposed to a canvas type. My 7 year old sleeps up there and we've had no complaints from him being cold when camping 'out of season'. In fact he often tells us how warm it is as he sleeps in a bag with a large fleece blanket thrown over.
We have got a Propex gas heater installed in the van and 10 mins of that makes it like a sauna up top!
I know for the VW canvas pop tops you can buy the silver screens to go round the outside which help prevent heat loss. I would have thought they are made for your type of pop top as well.
hi, cheers for the replies. Question for Minimad 59. Do you know of any body who fits the solid sided pop top as i have not found anyone on the internet so far.
hi, cheers for the replies. Question for Minimad 59. Do you know of any body who fits the solid sided pop top as i have not found anyone on the internet so far.
Oz
i think you are best trying vw forums for info there will be people that will do it try
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/
On the subject of high tops v pop-tops, I have a high top and whilst there are no problems with heat conservation or head height there are other things to consider I reckon. When the wind gets up it can get a bit scarey! I got stranded on Anglesey last year when they closed the Menai bridge to 'high-sided vehicles'. And I regularly have to hog the middle lane of the motorway in high winds in case I get caught off guard by the gusts! Parking with a high top can be a problem. Many carparks have height restriction bars to prevent (presumably) vans and lorries parking overnight, you'll never be able to park in a multi-story and even some bridges are not worth risking. Pop-tops are notoriously expensive to repair if the material tears or the hinges break, and they can leak if not sealed properly. I dunno if this helps at all. To be honest if I replaced my van I think I would go for some form of pop-top, providing the top was in good nick.
Lesley x
hi, cheers for the replies. Question for Minimad 59. Do you know of any body who fits the solid sided pop top as i have not found anyone on the internet so far.
Oz
Sorry for the delay in reply. To be honest I don't know of anybody who manufacture or fit 'new' solid sided pop tops for VWs. It may be a different case for your Toyota.
There were several firms that did solid pop tops, Autohomes, Autosleeper, Holdsworth and I think they converted more than just VWs so maybe you could find a second hand top for your van. Have you searched for a Toyota forum? You may be surprised at what you might find.
Try the bongo websites the converters convert most vans into pop ups. We have a topup its always warm bit too warm in summer have to say not done snow yet !!
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Topic: pop roof vans and beds
